Carver County Attorney: No Charges In Prince’s Overdose Death

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — After two years of investigations, prosecutors say no one will be charged in connection to the death of a Minnesota music icon.

At a news conference Thursday morning, Carver County Attorney Mark Metz said charges would not be filed, saying there was not enough evidence to reasonably convict anyone in Prince’s 2016 overdose death.

Nearly two years ago this week, the Minnesota music icon was found unresponsive in an elevator at his Chanhassen home, Paisley Park. The 57-year-old died of an accidental fentanyl overdose — an opioid painkiller 50 times more powerful than heroin.

In the Thursday news conference, Metz said the pills Prince took were counterfeit Vicodin pills — a legal drug that’s a mix of hydrocodone and acetaminophen — that actually contained fentanyl. Metz said there’s no evidence anyone — including Prince — knew the pills contained the far more potent opioid.

Metz said investigators couldn’t determine where Prince got the fentanyl-laced Vicodin, and therefore couldn’t charge anyone in his overdose death. He also said the notoriously private musician didn’t have a cell phone, making the investigation more difficult.

Prince likely took those same pills when his plane had to make an emergency landing in Illinois, Metz said, though the pills Prince had at the time were never chemically tested. First responders revived the musician on his plane with two doses of Narcan.

Johnson’s attorney released a statement on the Carver County Attorney’s decision Thursday afternoon:

My client, Kirk Johnson, is relieved that no charges have been filed against him by state or federal authorities. He continues to deny that he had anything to do with the death of his close friend, Prince. Prince’s death was a tragedy that few could experience more deeply than Kirk Johnson. Today’s decision affirms his innocence, and he will continue to mourn and honor his friend every day.

The county attorney’s office combed through evidence at Paisley Park and beyond for the better part of the last two years.